3 drivers feat. Chase Elliott suspended by NASCAR for right-hooking a driver amid Austin Cindric saga

NASCAR has suspended three drivers, including Chase Elliott, for right-hooking competitors, a move the league deems dangerous. Meanwhile, Austin Cindric received a significant penalty but avoided suspension for a similar action at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Elliott has joined Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar, who faced similar penalties in previous seasons. NASCAR has stressed that intentional right-rear hooking is a serious offense, particularly on high-speed oval tracks. The move led to automatic suspensions earlier, including those of Wallace and Elliott himself.

Austin Cindric has been fined $50,000 and docked 50 points for right-rear hooking Ty Dillon early in Sunday’s (March 2) race at COTA. The incident happened on Lap 4 after Dillon ran Cindric off the track coming off the final corner. Cindric rejoined the racing surface and retaliated by hooking Dillon’s Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the right rear. This caused Dillon to spin twice on the frontstretch, and nearly get hit by Zane Smith.

NASCAR officials reviewed the incident and decided not to suspend Cindric. A big factor in the decision was the lower speeds on a road course, which made the wreck less severe compared to similar incidents on high-speed ovals. Despite avoiding suspension, the penalties dropped Cindric from 11th to 35th in the standings ahead of the next race at Phoenix Raceway.

The decision contrasts with past suspensions for right-rear hooking. Chase Elliott was the last driver to be suspended for such an incident, which occurred in May 2023 when he hooked Denny Hamlin off Turn 4 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Before that, Bubba Wallace was suspended for a race after right-rear hooking Kyle Larson during the 2022 fall race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last year, NASCAR also fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 and penalized him 25 points for intentionally wrecking Harrison Burton under caution at Nashville Superspeedway.

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"See Y’all in PHX " – Chase Elliott looks back on COTA and gears up for Phoenix

Chase Elliott addressed his performance at COTA after Sunday's race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver acknowledged his struggles at the beginning of the 2025 season but expressed satisfaction with his top-five finish.

Elliott was involved in an early incident with Ross Chastain. Despite starting in third place, Elliott was spun out by Chastain on the first lap. However, he recovered and finished in fourth place, marking a strong comeback.

Chase Elliott took to his X handle to share his thoughts, writing:

"Still waitin’ on a clean day, but we’ll take P4 at COTA. See y’all in PHX."

The race ended with Christopher Bell clinching his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win. Bell overtook Kyle Busch with six laps remaining and held off William Byron and Tyler Reddick in a close finish, crossing the line just 0.38 seconds ahead of Byron.

It was Bell’s 11th career win and his third on a road course. At 30, he became the first driver since Kevin Harvick in 2018 to win two of the first three races in a season.